Neuroanatomy: Structure and Function of the Nervous System

Neuroanatomy

• Study of the nervous system's various parts and their respective functions

The Nervous System

• Comprises many substructures, each consisting of many neurons with specialized functions
• Each part works together to produce behavior, and damage to different parts results in distinct behavioral deficits
• Acts as a network of neurons that generate, modulate, and transmit information between all parts of the human body
• Regulates vital body functions, including:
  • Heartbeat
  • Breathing
  • Digestion
• Responsible for:
  • Sensation
  • Body movements
  • Consciousness
  • Cognition
  • Behavior
  • Memories

Prenatal Period

• Begins at conception and ends at birth, lasting around 270-280 days or nine months.
• Divided into three periods: Zygote (Germinal Stage), Embryo (Embryonic Stage), and Fetus (Fetal Stage).

Period of the Zygote (Germinal Stage)

• Lasts from fertilization to the end of the second week.
• Characterized by the formation of the zygote (fertilized ovum).

Period of the Embryo (Embryonic Stage)

• Lasts from the end of the second week to the end of the eighth week.
• Characterized by the formation of the first bone.

Period of the Fetus (Fetal Stage)

• Lasts from the end of the eighth week to birth.
• Considered the critical period, as the newly formed individual becomes susceptible to damage and defects.

Genes

• True carriers of heredity.
• 3000 genes per chromosome.
• X and Y chromosomes determine sex.

Hazards During the Prenatal Period

• Physical hazards: starvation, lack of uterine preparation, implantation in the wrong place, miscarriages, developmental irregularities, and prematurity.
• Psychological hazards: traditional beliefs, maternal stress, and unfavorable attitudes from significant people.

Maturation and Fertilization

• Maturation: the process of chromosome reduction through cell division.
• Fertilization: occurs at conception, taking place within 12-36 hours, and results in the union of a sperm cell with an egg cell.

Conditions Influencing Physical Hazards

• Timing of their appearance.
• Maternal malnutrition.
• Maternal age.
• Kinds of work.
• Multiple births.

Importance of Conception/Prenatal Period

• Hereditary endowment.
• Sex.
• Number of offspring.
• Ordinal position.

Developmental Psychology

• A branch of psychology that studies intraindividual changes and interindividual differences in developmental change.
• Covers the life span from conception to death.
• Explains physical, social, emotional, moral, and intellectual development over a person's life span.

Laws of Developmental Direction

• Cephalocaudal Law: development spreads over the body from head to foot.
• Proximodistal Law: development spreads outward from the central axis of the body to the extremities.

Development

• A progressive series of changes that occur as a result of maturation and experience.
• Characterized by qualitative changes.
• Each phase of development has characteristics, hazards, and patterns of behavior.

Explore the anatomy of the nervous system, including its various parts and their functions, and how damage to different parts can lead to behavioral deficits.